The Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle, is in intensive care after undergoing an emergency surgery for a blood clot.
Earlier this week, Meghan’s father was rushed to the hospital after falling ill at his home in the Philippines.
The 81-year-old American has been based in Asia since earlier this year, having previously lived in Mexico.
After undergoing surgery on Wednesday, he was taken to the intensive care unit, where he’s healing before having to face another surgery to fully remove the clot.
His son, Thomas Jr, said doctors found his father’s life was in ‘imminent danger’ after undergoing scans.
‘They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the centre of the city. My dad has undergone emergency surgery,’ he said.
Thomas Jr also took a swipe at his half-sister, who is based in California with her husband, Prince Harry and their two children.
‘My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life.’
Thomas has a history of medical episodes. In 2018, he had two heart attacks before Meghan and Harry’s wedding
Meghan has been estranged from her father since around 2018, but has made attempts to extend an olive branch.
In 2022, it was reported that the Duchess reached out to her dad after he suffered a major stroke.
At the time, a source close to Meghan told the Mirror: ‘Meghan is concerned. She wants to know if there is any way to contact her dad privately, without the other family knowing about it or having to get involved.’
Meghan Markle’s estrangement from family explained
Meghan’s relationship to family members on her father’s side has been a source of media fodder for years, consisting of court cases, health scares and a lack of approval from spouses.
Years ago, Thomas Jr and Samantha, children of Thomas, filed a defamation case against their half-sibling, Meghan.
Meghan ultimately won the defamation case, with the judge finding that Samantha ‘failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation’.
In 2021, Thomas threatened to take Meghan and Harry to court to gain access to his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.
The former lighting director told Fox News in an exclusive interview that he is ready to take the matter to court ‘in the very near future’.
He has had a strained relationship with his daughter ever since her wedding to Harry, where Thomas struck a deal with a paparazzi photographer to stage photos of him.
Thomas has also claimed he isn’t a fan of Prince Harry, with his son, Thomas Jr, claiming he wouldn’t ‘trust him to protect the chickens in his backyard’.
He insisted that growing up with Meghan had been ‘a great experience’ and that they were ‘very close’ and would spend ‘lots of quality time’ together.
Thomas said he would ‘do anything’ to meet his two-year-old nephew Archie and four-month-old niece Lilibet.
Whether the Sussexes will be so keen to reconnect with their estranged family is uncertain.
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